Video Game Generations

In this week's news, I talk about some of the interesting new features in the recent PS4 and Vita system firmware updates. Then, a new month means new free games for subscribers of Playstation Plus and Xbox Gold, so I list those and talk a little about them. Then, after listener email, we talk about the games we're currently playing.

For me, that's still Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (3DS) and Sleeping Dogs (PS4), but I also played through the just-released second episode of Life is Strange (PS4), and I do my best to discuss it in general, without spoilers. Addie has only played Portal 2 (Xbox 360), and not much more of that since last week, but she's excited to possibly finish it over the next week.

I also give my initial hands-on impressions of the Amazon Fire TV Stick and the Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2 -- very different pieces of tech, each pretty cool in their own way. To wrap up the episode, I talk about my wish list for the next Fallout game (Fallout 4?) with the hopes that Bethesda will announce it soon (at E3?) Plus, listener feedback on what they'd like to see in the next game.

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Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

We have plenty to discuss this week. More listeners write in about recent questions of the week, and later in the episode we introduce another one: do you think this will be the last console generation? Some people do, but it's hard to imagine a time when "set-top boxes" and alternative gaming devices have replaced the home console market.

Addie made it quite a bit further in Portal 2 (Xbox 360) since the last episode, and I try my best to keep her from spoiling the story for listeners. She also played a little more Resogun (PS4) and Alice: Madness Returns (Xbox 360), the latter of which we discuss why it received an ESRB "M" rating and whether or not it really fits. I also talk in depth about Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS) and Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4), which are the two games I've been playing since last time.

This week's quiz is all about NES game titles. Can you tell the real ones from the fakes? Oh, and this episode's after-the-ending outtake is a little unusual (and a little longer than normal), but it was entirely Addie's idea.

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Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

This week's episode is a little shorter than normal, in part because Addie hasn't played anything recently for our "what we're playing" segment, and because we don't have a new quiz this week. But we do talk a little about recent Nintendo announcements, and I give a tip about a product that lets you use your home's electrical outlets as network jacks. This helped my Playstation TV remote play stability quite a bit. In my pre-recorded game talk segment, I give my opening thoughts on Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS), my closing thoughts on Fallout 3 (Xbox 360 - after playing the Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta expansions), and quite a bit about an odd but fun little game called Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (3DS).

We read more great listener email too, which includes more answers and opinions on prior weeks' topics and some game recommendations. Our newest question of the week comes from this segment, when one listener asks if we've ever just been burnt out on playing video games, and if so, what do we do to cope with it? Share your game burnout stories with us for a future episode!

Last week's question is still open as well. With the possibility that Bethesda may soon announce the next game in the Fallout series, what kinds of features, changes, or game specifics are you hoping for in Fallout 4? Let us know in email, or by leaving a message for us on SpeakPipe. We can include those messages directly in the show, if you'd like to be heard on the podcast.

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

This episode starts with more off-topic stuff than usual, but we do finally get into the main stuff -- news, listener email, and what we've been playing. In email, two listeners answer recent QOTW (Questions of the Week), which includes last week's topic about game review scores and prior topics about moral choices in games, emulation, and "let's play" videos.

Addie's contribution to the game-specific discussion is minimal this week, since she really hasn't done any gaming since the last episode, but mine is overly long. I played through Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4), and I have plenty to say about that. I also continued past the end of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (3DS) for several of the extra post-game episodes. I wrap up with a Fallout 3 update (Xbox 360), where I'm once again exploring the game's Capital Wasteland for a few more achievements, quests, collectibles, and DLC expansions.

This week's question for listeners is specifically about the Fallout series. With many high hopes that Bethesda will announce the next in the series at their first-ever E3 press conference this year, what are you hoping for in the next Fallout game? A specific location? Gameplay improvements? I have my list, but let's hear from other fans first.

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Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

This month's free game line-up for Xbox Games with Gold and Playstation Plus is a strong one, and we go over those lists near the top of the episode. Then, without any listener feedback this week, we get right into our What We're Playing segment. Among these, I finished Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS), The Order: 1886 (PS4), and Escape Trick: The Secret of Rock City Prison (DSi). I give a Suikoden update too, then Addie talks about playing Sports Friends (PS4) with younger brother Heath. Oh, and Heath started Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Xbox 360), which I played with him co-op for one level.

Resogun (PS4) is also a big topic this week, when Addie says that the game doesn't really explain how you're supposed to "save the last humans." This is a PS4 launch game that I really enjoyed at the time, so I go into detail with tips and strategies for playing Resogun, explaining how the whole human-saving loop works.

Addie also tries her luck at my videogame hero sidekick quiz. Over the course of twenty questions, she attempts to figure out the hero and/or game that each sidekick goes with. It's a quiz that listeners can play along with as well. After this, I introduce a new topic of the week, inviting listeners' opinions about review scores on games. Does it help? Does it hurt? If the professionals take a stance against scoring their own reviews, will aggregate sites like Metacritic continue to show averages -- just less reliable scores from less knowledgeable reviewers? What do you think? Write in and let us know, or to answer a previous Question of the Week, or just to check in, say hi, and let us know you're listening.

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

Addie's friend Kaitlyn joins us remotely for this episode. I predicted it wasn't going to work, but she ended up talking rather than texting, so it was fine. Episode 33 is chock-full of game talk, which includes several iPad games Kaitlyn has been enjoying. Addie tried out Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U), played more Alice: Madness Returns (Xbox 360), and together we played more of Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PS4). My multiplayer time with Heath and Hadleigh (Addie's younger brother and sister, twins) was spent on Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) and Disney Universe (Xbox 360), respectively.

I give my final thoughts on Mutant Mudds Deluxe (PS3) after collecting the last trophy, and my wrap-up on Dying Light (PS4). I also talk about a short adventure game called The Starship Damrey (3DS) and bit more about the other games I've been playing. To close out the segment, I give my first impressions of The Order: 1886 (PS4), which is a game I'm really enjoying, but which seems to be getting a lot of criticism, not all of which seems deserved to me.

Earlier, with listener email, we have a new question of the week. Hypothetically, if you didn't already have a new-gen console (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U), what would be the tipping point to cause you to buy one? Or, not hypothetically, if you don't have one, what are you waiting for? A particular game? A particular price point? A new model of the hardware (ex: "slim" version)? Let us know, and we'll read your comments on a future episode.

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

In this episode, I give my initial hands-on impressions of Nintendo's "New 3DS", including a discussion about the many mistakes they've made with their product naming and their policies in general. I also talk about the problem with PlayStation's DualShock 4 triggers, with a tip on how to fix a broken one. Then we read listener email. One of those includes an answer to last week's question about games that disappointed you.

But it isn't all negative. We also have great things to say about the games we've been playing. Addie was convinced by her best friend to try the popular mobile game Draw Something. I beat Mutant Mudds Deluxe on the Vita (via PlayStation TV), although I still have one more trophy to earn, once I finish all the bonus "CGA Land" levels. I also finished Dying Light on the PS4, but again, I'll probably spend a little more time with it to try out "Be the Zombie" mode, and pick up a couple more trophies.

The show wraps up with a top-10 list of the games I've enjoyed, that most others didn't. Addie takes a guess at each one's average review score as we work our way to the bottom. For our question of the week, we want to know how you handle moral choices in games that offer them. For instance, light side or dark side in Star Wars? Friendly or aggressive in The Walking Dead? Let us know!

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Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

Highlights from Episode 31 include more listener feedback with answers to last week's question (most underrated game consoles) and a new game quiz: match the game series to the publisher. In game talk, Addie talks a little about Child of Light (PS4), Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS), and Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360). I played more Dying Light (PS4), and I started playing Suikoden (PS1 on PSTV) and Mutant Mudds Deluxe (PSTV). In my gaming time with the younger kids, Heath and I played more Lego Batman 2, while Hadleigh had me help out with Disney Universe.

Our new question of the week asks what game has been the biggest disappointment for you so far? Have an answer? Write in!

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

This week, we talk about the free games line-up for Playstation Plus for this month. Then it's listener feedback and more, followed by updates on what we've been playing. It was a light week for Addie, with mobile games Trivia Crack and Jump to occupy her time (iOS).

I finished Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4), so I'm able to give my final thoughts on that. I also played episode 1 of Life is Strange, a game from Dontnot that I've been looking forward to based on how much I liked their game Remember Me from a couple years ago. This is very different — more like a Telltale adventure game. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I also give opening thoughts on Dying Light, another zombie-filled open world from Techland, the developer of Dead Island and Call of Juarez.

With just one answer to last week's three listener feedback questions, we've added another. What do you consider the most underrated game console ever, and why? As for this week's episode title: in part of my solo game discussion, when discussing frame rates, it sure sounds like I messed up somehow and said "wait" instead of "rate" — which actually makes a lot of sense, in context.

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Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com

This week, we talk about the Xbox Games With Gold line-up for February. Then, it's a big bag of email in which several listeners ask really great questions. We want to open it up to discussion, so let us know if you have comments about or answers for any of these:

1. What's your stance on using emulation to play retro games? 2. Is there a gaming accomplishment that really challenged you? 3. What do you think about the growing trend of episodic gaming?

We also answer one listener's request for PSP game recommendations, although many of my own choices are rated M games which I probably should have mentioned at the time, in case the listener is younger or just looking for E or T rated games (sorry).

In our "what we're playing" update, Addie talks about her progress in Broken Age (Act 1 on PC), I talk about Heath's renewed interest in playing Lego Batman 2 (Xbox 360 - I helped on a few levels), and then I give an update on my progress in Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4). The show wraps up with a new quiz (games from developers or publishers that are no longer in business), and more shenanigans from Addie as we try to wrap up the show.

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.vggpodcast.com